The invention relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to communication systems supporting wireless mobile telephones or other types of user terminals which utilize feature browsers for providing access to system features.
Conventional communication systems may be configured to support wireless terminals which utilize so-called xe2x80x9cfeature browsersxe2x80x9d as part of a user interface for accessing system features. In such an arrangement, the terminal interface typically includes a display which is capable of listing particular system features in a predetermined sequence. The user accesses a given feature by, e.g., first using LEFT and RIGHT navigation keys to scroll through the sequence of features until the given feature is displayed, and then pushing a SELECT key to activate the displayed feature. More particularly, as the user navigates the sequence of features while a given feature n is displayed, pushing the LEFT key results in a previous feature nxe2x88x921 in the sequence being displayed, while pushing the RIGHT key results in a subsequent feature n+1 being displayed. In this manner, the user is able to access all of the available features using only the LEFT, RIGHT and SELECT keys. This compensates for the typical lack of user interface xe2x80x9creal estatexe2x80x9d on the wireless terminal by providing full feature access using many fewer physical keys than, e.g., a corresponding wired terminal supported by the same system. The predetermined sequence of features is generally not alterable by the user, but is instead alterable only by a system administrator manually reconfiguring the terminal layout.
A significant problem with the above-described conventional feature browser configuration is that all users are generally presented with the same sequence of features, regardless of the fact that different features are typically utilized more frequently by some users than by others. This leads to unnecessary inefficiency in the navigation process, and undermines the utility of the feature browser.
A need therefore exists for techniques which allow a communication system to control the presentation order of features in a feature browser in a manner that is most meaningful to a given user.
The invention provides improved feature presentation management in a wireless terminal or other terminal of a communication system. In accordance with the invention, a sequence of features accessible through a feature browser portion of a terminal user interface is dynamically and automatically configured for a corresponding user in accordance with a feature utilization history of that user. As a result, the particular sequence of features presented to the user reflects past feature selection habits of that user. Advantageously, the invention allows the feature browsers of each of a set of users to be configured with a different sequence of features, thereby considerably improving the efficiency of the navigation process.
The utilization history information for a given user may include, e.g., a set of utilization counters for each of a number of features supported by the system, and the presentation order may be determined by sorting the utilization values of the corresponding features in an increasing or decreasing order. The utilization counters may be stored in a feature presentation management table that is implemented in the terminal and includes a feature identifier, a presentation order number and the utilization counter for each of the features. In a bulk feature presentation management technique of the invention, a single feature presentation management table is maintained for the terminal regardless of terminal state. In a state-based method, a different feature presentation management table is maintained for each of a set of designated terminal states, such as on hook, off hook and active, such that different presentation orders may be provided to a single user based upon the particular state of the terminal. In either technique, the feature browser utilizes the feature presentation management table(s) to determine the user-specific order in which features are to be presented on the terminal display.
Unlike conventional techniques, the invention allows a feature sequence presented to a particular user to be dynamically and automatically varied such that the features most often utilized by that user are presented first in the sequence, before other less-often utilized features. As such, a different feature sequence can be presented to each user supported by the system, thereby increasing the efficiency with which features can be accessed via the feature browser. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.